Give and Grant all and Singular the Powers and Authorities herein granted to be by him executed and enjoyed during our Pleasure or untill Your arrival within Our said Province And if upon Your Death or Absence out of Our said Province there be no Person upon the Place commissioned or appointed by Us to be Our Lieutenant Governor or Commander in Chief of Our said Province and Territories Our Will and Pleasure is that Our Councill of our said Province for the time being do take upon them the Administration of the Government and execute Our said Commission and Instructions and the several Powers and Authorities therein contained in the same manner and to all Intents and Purposes as Our Governor [or] [and] Commander in Chief of Our said Province and Territories should or ought to do in Case of Your Absence [untill] Your Return or in all Cases [un]till our further Pleasure be known therein And that in such Cases the eldest Councillor present at each Meeting of the said Councill shall always preside therein And Our Pleasure is that You the said William Shirley shall and may hold execute and enjoy the Office and Place of Our Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over Our said Province and Territories of the Massachusets Bay in New England with all and singular the Powers and Authorities hereby granted unto You for and during Our Will and Pleasure And Whereas there are divers Colonies adjoyning to Our Province of the Massachusets Bay for the Defence and Security whereof it is [requisite] [required] that due Care be taken in the time of War Wee have therefore thought it further necessary for Our Service and for the better Protec tion and Security of Our Subjects inhabiting those Parts to Constitute and appoint [And we do by these Presents constitute and appoint] You the said William Shirley to be Our Captain General and Comander in Chief of the Militia and of all the Forces by Sea and Land within Our Colonies [of] Rhode Island and Providence Plantation the Narragansett Country or Kings Province and of all Our Forts and Places of Strength within the same, in time of War or imminent danger And for the better Ordering Governing and Ruling Our said Militia and all Our Forces Forts and Places of Strength within Our said Colonies of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation[s] and the Narraganset Country or Kings Province Wee do hereby Give and Grant unto You the said William Shirley and in Your Absence to our Lieutenant Governor or Commander in Chief of Our said Province of the Massachusets Bay all and every the like Powers as in these Presents are before granted and recited for the Ruling Governing and Ordering Our Militia and all Our Forces Forts and Places of Strength within Our Province of the Massachusets Bay to be exercised by You the said William Shirley and in Your Absence from Our Territory and Dominion of New England by Our said Lieutenant Governor or Commander in Chief of Our said Province of the Massachusets Bay for the time being within Our said Colonies of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation and the Narraganset Country or Kings Province during the time of War or imminent danger as aforesaid In Witness [&c] [whereof We have caused these our Letters to be made Patent] Witnesses John Archbishop of Canterbury & other Guardians & Justices of the Kingdom] [by the King] at Westminster the [sixteenth] [twenty fifth] day of May [in the fourteenth Year of Our Reign] By Writt of Privy Seal [The Great Seal of England Appending [BISSE] Exd Examined p J. WILLARD Secry] Public Record Office, Patent Roll, 14 George II, Part 2, No. 7. Compared with the record of Royal Commissions (Crown Commissions, 1628-1663, pp. 36-40) in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.1 1 See footnote, p. 56, ante. THOMAS POWNALL'S COMMISSION AS GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE OF THE 25 FEBRUARY, 1757 [HIS EXCELLENCY] THOMAS POWNALL ESQ" [HIS COMISSION TO BE] GOVERNOR [†C] [OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY] George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ereland king Defender of the Faith [ca] To Our Trusty and Welbeloved THOMAS POWNALL Esquire Greeting Whereas by a Royal Charter under the Great Seal of England bearing date the Seventh day of October in the Third year of the Reign of King William the Third the Colony of the Massachusets Bay the Colony of New Plymouth the Province of Main in New England the Territory of Accadie or Nova Scotia and the Lands lying between the said Territory of Nova Scotia and the Province of Main aforesaid were United Erected and incorporated into One [Royal] [real] Province by the Name of Our Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England and His said Majesty did thereby grant to Our Loving Subjects the[n] Inhabitants of Our said Province or Territory of the Massachusets Bay in New England and their Successors that there should be a Governor a Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Our said Province and Territory to be from time to time appointed and Commissionated by the said King William his Heirs and Successors with several Privileges Franchises and Immunities thereby granted to Our said loving Subjects And Whereas We did by Our Letters Patents under Our Great Seal of Great Britain bearing date at Westminster the Twenty Fifth day of May in the Fourteenth year of Our Reign Constitute and appoint William Shirley Esquire Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over Our said Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England for and during Our Will and Pleasure as by the said recited Letters Patent[s] relation being thereunto had may more fully and large appear Now Know you that We have Revoked and Determined and by these Presents Do Revoke and Determine the said recited Letters Patent and every Clause Article and Thing therein contained And further Know you that We reposing Especial Trust and Confidence in the Prudence Courage and Loyalty of You the said Thomas Pownall of Our Especial Grace certain Knowledge and meer Motion have thought fit to Constitute and Appoint and by these Presents Do Constitute and Appoint You the said Thomas Pownall to be Our Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over Our said Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England And for your better Guidance and Direction We do hereby require and Command You to Do and Execute all things in due manner that shall belong unto the Trust We have reposed in you according to the several Powers and Authorities mentioned in the said Charter and in these Presents and such further Powers Instructions and Authorities as you shall receive or which shall at any time hereafter be granted or appointed You under Our Sign Manual and Signet or by Our Order in Our Privy Council in pursuance of the said Charter and according to such reasonable Laws and Statutes as are now in force or which hereafter shall be made and Agreed upon in such manner and form as by the said Charter is directed And Our Will and Pleasure is that you the said Thomas Pownall after the Publication of these Our Letters Patents do in the First Place take the Oaths appointed to be taken by an Act passed in the First Year of his late Majesty Our Royal Father's Reign Entitled (An Act for the further Security of His Majesty's Person and Government and the Succession of the Crown in the Heirs of the late Princess Sophia being Protestants and for Extinguishing the hopes of the Pretended Prince of Wales and his open and secret Abettors) As also that You make and subscribe the Declaration mentioned in an Act of Parliament made in the twenty fifth year of the Reign of King Charles the Second Entitled (An Act for preventing Dangers which may happen from Popish Recusants) and likewise that you take the usual Oath for the due Execution of the Office and Trust of Our Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over our said Province as well with regard to the due and Impartial Administration of Justice as otherwise and further that you take the Oath required to be taken by Governors of Plantations to do their utmost that the several Laws relating to Trade and the Plantations be Observed which said Oaths and Declaration Our Council of Our said Province or any three of the Members thereof have hereby full Power and Authority and are required to tender and Administer unto you and in your Absence to Our Lieutenant Governor of Our said Province if there be any upon the Place All which being duly performed you shall Administer to Each of the Members of Our said Council and to Our said Lieutenant Governor if there be any upon the Place the Oaths mentioned in the said Act Entitled (An Act for the further Security of His Majesty's Person and Government and the Succession of the Crown in the Heirs of the late Princess Sophia being Protestants and for Extinguishing the Hopes of the pretended Prince of Wales and his Open and secret Abettors) as also to cause them to make and subscribe |